And they didn't. So came the boycott. The United Defense League was formed with Jemison elected its president. The league spread the word by radio and word-of-mouth asking Black riders not to board city buses until the law was changed."The Black riders turned their backs on the buses at the bus stops," Mitchell says. "Black people with automobiles picked up the riders and brought them to work." Now here's the clincher: After eight days of virtually no riders, the Baton Rouge Bus Co. found itself in money trouble. "Still, boycotters were determined to demand change," Melton writes in her 64 Parishes story. "On the evening of June 22, more than seven thousand Black citizens gathered in Baton Rouge's municipal stadium. 'We don't have to ride the buses. There's nothing wrong with our feet!' they shouted. 'We'll keep walking!'""Finally, Rev. Jemison met with the council," Mitchell says. "The council said they would reserve only the bench at the front of the bus for Whites." Melton writes that the Whites-only section simply was reduced. Either way, Jemison agreed to the compromise. That was on Jan. 23, 1953. The boycott ended on Jan. 24, proving that peaceful protests could bring about effective change.